Recreational Cannabis Legalization and Black Women’s Marriage

The incarceration rate of Black men has increased since the war on drugs began in the 1970s. This has coincided with a decline in the marriage rate for Black women. In this paper, I test this link directly by using the relaxation of existing cannabis legislation over the past decade, which has led to a reduction in the drug-related arrests of Blacks. Also, I present the difference-in-differences estimation results that show that legalizing recreational cannabis increases the odds of marriage for Black women without college education.